Quick erecting telescoping masts are used for many applications including civilian, industrial and military applications throughout the world. Quick erecting telescoping masts are particularly suited for applications wherever there is a need for portable masts requiring fast setup and teardowns with minimum power and effort. In addition to numerous military applications, including target acquisitions, surveillance and field communications, quick erecting telescoping masts are utilized commercially to support a wide variety of antennas, elevated testing equipment, floodlights and cameras. Free-standing masts can be installed on a wide variety of vehicles and shelters.
In the past, the telescoping masts were typically pneumatically operated. This entailed airtight seals between the adjacent mast sections so that the air which was delivered into the bottom of the mast would not bleed out of the system and cause the mast to retract.
Another problem which could affect the usefulness of the pneumatically operated masts was their being damaged during operation. For instance, if a hole was formed in a section of a mast by a projectile, the air could bleed out and the mast could collapse. Moreover, sometimes the projectile could form a hole with a ragged edge which prevented the telescoping mast from retracting.
A related problem associated with pneumatically operated masts related to ice formed between the mast sections and preventing the telescoping mast from being extended or retracted.
A further deficiency of the pneumatically operated telescoping masts was that they primarily had two positions. Either they were fully retracted or fully extended. However, to partially extend the telescoping mast was typically beyond the capabilities of the portable, pneumatically operating mast equipment. Since an antenna which incorporates the mast itself can have its frequency affected by the height of the mast, the ability to partially extend the mast to a desired height is an important feature which was not easily accomplished in the prior art. Further, even when a pneumatically operated telescoping mast was partially extended, the precise position of the upper end was not known. Thus, it was difficult to ascertain the exact frequency of the mast and antenna assembly when the antenna was in fully extended position.